His window pane mirror looks like something you’d find in an upscale furniture store, but, as you’ll see, you can build it in your garage in a weekend. Just follow Brad’s step-by-step instructions to create your own nine-panel window pane mirror.

How to Build This Window Pane Mirror

My wife and I have been looking for something to fill the landing area right outside our bedroom. This nine-panel window pane mirror does the job with style to spare.

The frame is made from a base of 1 x 4 and 1 x 3 material built up with chair rail and moulding to give a substantial wooden frame look and feel.

This mirror is large and in charge! It measures in at 42 in. x 42 in. and will fill an empty wall nicely. Let me show you how you can make one yourself and have a nice DIY alternative to buying a $300 mirror from the home furnishing store.

Step 1 – Build Mirror Frame

Cut four pieces of 1 x 4 to 42 in. long with 45-degree miters on each end.

Drill pocket holes into the ends of two of the boards, and assemble the frame with glue and 1¼ in. pocket hole screws.

Using a stop block on your miter saw will help make repeated cuts.

Clamp the boards flat to a work surface and use a right angle to ensure the frame is square.

Step 2 – Install mirror supports

From the 1 x 3 material, cut two 35-in.-long supports, two 10⅛ in. short inner supports, and four 9-15/16 in. short outer supports.

Drill pocket holes in the ends of each piece.

The long supports are attached 9-15/16 in. in from the sides. Then you fill in the short inner and outer supports, attaching them 9-15/16 in. from the top and bottom to form a tic-tac-toe board. Feel free to stop and play a game or two with a friend!

Step 3 – Modify and add chair rail to the frame

I used chair rail to build up the face of the frame, and give it a custom frame look. You’ll need to make a small modification to the chair rail for the best appearance.

There is a small tongue on the chair rail that needs to be removed. Using a table saw, cut the chair rail down to 2-7/16 in. wide, which will remove the tongue. In the photo above, the piece on the right is before the modification and the piece on the left is after.

Making this change will let the inner trim butt up nicely to the chair rail.

With the chair rail modified, cut four pieces to 42 in. long with miters on each end just like the mirror frame.

Attach the chair rail flush with the outer edge of the frame with glue and ¾-in. brad nails.

Step 4 – Add the inner trim

Next you’ll cut the inner moulding to separate the mirrors. I used a ¾ in. x ½ in. moulding for this. The ½ in. was a bit too tall, so I ended up planing it down to ¼-in. thick with my planer.

Cut two long inner supports from the ¾-in. molding to 37⅛ in. to fit in the frame.

At this point you’ll want to pull the mirrors out and start placing them on the frame to position the short inner moulding.

Next you’ll cut six short inner supports to separate the mirrors.

I found all of my mirrors to be 11⅞ in. or less on each side, so make sure you are cutting the pieces to fit, but they will be around 11⅞ in. each.

Use glue and brad nails to attach the trim pieces to the base frame. Again, put the mirrors in place when you are installing to align the trim.

Here is a helpful hint: Label all the mirrors before removing them. Because of the variations in the mirrors you will want to put them in the exact same place you take them from. I used “A” through “I” to label mine.

Step 5 – Prep for painting

After everything is secured, go back and fill any gaps between the chair rail and frame with wood putty.

Also fill in all the brad nail holes. When the putty is dry, sand everything smooth to 150 grit.

Step 6 – Spray-paint the frame

Remove the mirrors and spray-paint the frame with a few coats of paint.

I used an Espresso spray paint, which we thought would look perfect on our wall.

Step 7 – Attach the mirrors

After the paint is dry, attach the mirrors with mirror mastic. Use enough of the mastic to firmly seat the mirrors, but avoid using too much or it could ooze around the mirrors.

Step 8 – Attach the hanging hardware

I used two D-hangers on the back, along with heavy duty picture wire.

I don’t know how much the mirror weighs, but it is heavy! So I made sure to wrap the windings well so it won’t come loose.

Step 9 – Hang your mirror and enjoy!

Hang your new window pane mirror on the wall, and enjoy a great decorative mirror that will open up any space and fill a wall nicely. Have fun building your own and customizing it for your space!

Brad Rodriguez discovered his passion for woodworking when he took a class in 2002. That eventually led to launching his blog, Fix This Build That. He offers a steady stream of woodworking projects for everyone from beginners to seasoned woodworkers. He lives in Nashville with his wife Susan and their three children.